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Indian cricket chief N. Srinivasan could be replaced by Sunil Gavaskar amid a corruption probe into Srinivasan's son-in-law.

Reuters

N. Srinivasan, regarded as the world's most powerful cricket administrator, offered to step down as the Indian board president on Thursday in the wake of a fixing and betting scandal surrounding the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Earlier this week, India's highest court called on Srinivasan to leave his post at the BCCI to ensure a fair investigation into the scandal in which his son-in-law, Gurunath Meiyappan, has been indicted for illegal betting.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court put forward former India captain Sunil Gavaskar as Srinivasan's replacement and said the Chennai and Rajasthan franchises should be kept out of the IPL pending the completion of probe due to their role in the scandal.

The BCCI, whose lawyer told the court that Srinivasan was ready to step aside, has been asked to respond to the proposals on Friday.

Meiyappan was arrested in May last year by Mumbai Police probing illegal betting on the lucrative Twenty20 tournament but was later released on bail. Legal sports betting in India is confined to horse racing.

Local media claimed Meiyappan was chief executive of the Chennai Super Kings but the company that owns the IPL franchise, India Cements, said he was merely a member of team management.

Srinivasan, set to take over as chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) board in July, heads India Cements.

The scandal surfaced when former test bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and two other local cricketers, all playing for the Rajasthan franchise, were arrested on suspicion of taking money to concede a fixed number of runs.

Sreesanth, who had denied any wrongdoing, was subsequently banned for life by the BCCI.